Mill conveyer



Dec. 21 1926.

A. A. CZLAASSEN MILL CONVEYER Filed April 8, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheetl Invenirk Dec. 21 1926.

A. A. CLAASSEN I MILL CONVEYER Filed April 8, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 00 7??? Irzyezzibr:

Patented Dec. 221, i926,

barren stares ALVIN A. GLAASSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MILL CONVEYER.

Application filed April 8,

My invention relates to conveyers for receiving billets from a furnace and carrying them to the roughing-rolls, and its object is to provide a new and improved construction and organization which is especially advantageous for use where the billets are discharged from the furnace.

Feed-tables or conveyors of this general type usually consist of a frame-work supporting a series of spaced horizontal rollers which are positively rotated in unison by suitable driving mechanism, and plates arranged alternately between the rollers with their upper faces slightly below the upper peripheral line thereof, so that the rotation of the rollers conveys the billets from the furnace to the roughing-rolls. The inter mediate plates prevent the ends of the billets from passing down between the rollers. and the normal operative relation of the rollers and plates is such that the billets are moved along by the former with very little dragging or friction on the latter. As these conveyers have heretofore been constructed the rollers were supported on shafts whose hearings were located in housings on the frame-work, and as these bearings, particularly the ones for the inner ends of the shafts were exposed to the high heat of the furnace they quickly burned out, and it was i impossible to keep them properly oiled and the shaft and its bearings rapidly wore out. Also, the action of the hot scale and slag cut the shaft and its bearings. Consequently the rollers sagged or dropped below their normal operative alignment and permitted the billets to drag on the intermediate plates, whereby the efficiency ofthe conveyer was diminished. When it was desired to restore the alignment of a roller it was necessary to supply either a new shaft or new bearings, and frequently both. Furthermore. the blow or impact of the heavy billets on the rollers as they were discharged from the inclined furnace-mouth onto the conveyer caused the roller shafts to move or thrust longitudinally and j am or injure their driving mechanism.

My invention obviates these defects and disadvantages, and a practical embodiment of it is shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view show ing diagrammatically a section of a conveyer constructed in accordance with my invention in position at a furnace; Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section on the line 22 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudi- 1926. Serial No. $00,624:.

nal sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the details of construction of the roller parts; Fig. 4 is a similar view of the roller detached; and Figs. 5 and '6 are detail views of parts for sealing the open end of the roller when it is mounted in place.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 denotes a furnace having a heating chamber provided with the usual inclined discharge shelf 2 and outwardly swinging door 3; in Fig. 2 a billet t is shown sliding broadside down the shelf from the chamber to the conveyer. The feed-table or conveyor has the usual framework 5 extending lengthwise in front of the furnace exit and carrying bearingbrackets 6 which are spaced along the frame and have suitable caps to provide housings 7 arranged in transverse pairs in the usual manner as shown in Fig. 1. Horizontal plates Shaving upwardly extending aprons 9 on their inner sides are arranged along the inner side of the framework intermediate the spaced roll ers and adjacent the shelf 2, and a suitable cover 10 is provided to enclose the housings and some of their associated parts.

In each transverse pair of housings a tu bular sleeve 11 is fixed by pins 12; its end toward the furnace projects beyond the housing and preferably is slightly turned down on its outer surface as shown in Fig. 3. Upon the reduced end of the sleeve a cylindrical roller 13 is revolubly mounted by a roller-bearing 14. carried in raceways 15 supported on the sleeve; the roller is cupshaped in section as shown and circumscribes the projecting sleeve end. The open end of'the roller is closed to seal the hearing by a sealing-ring composed of a pair of metallic rings 16 between which an annular gasket or washer 17. of heat-resisting material, suchas asbestos, is clamped. The seal ing-ring fits in a circular seat 18 in the outer end of the cup of the roller and is held against the outwardly facing shoulder 19 of the seat by an irregular open spring-ring 520 which snaps into an outer annular groove 21 in the roller cup The roller'13 is revolved by a shaft 22 which extends through the sleeve 11 and is of less diameter than the bore of the sleeve to allow clearance all around to provide an oil-space between these parts to which lubricant is supplied by an oil-cup 2?. The inner end of the shaft 22 is ta Jered outwardly and passes through a correspond ing bore in the closed end of the roller 12} Which is keyed to the shaft as shown at 24 and held in place by a nut 25. The closed end of the roller is provided with an inner seat 26 concentric with the shaft in which a bronze thrustcollar 27 is supported in position to bear against the corresponding end of the sleeve 11, so that the endwise thrusts of the roller caused by the impact of the billets are taken by the fixed sleeve, and longitudinal thrust or displacement of the shaft and jamming of its driving gear are prevented. The outer end of the shaft 22 is journaled in a roller-bearing 28 held in a seat in the corresponding end of the sleeve 11 by a closure collar 29, and this end of the shaft carries a fixed miter gear 30 which meshes with a miter gear 31 fixed on a suitable main driving shaft 32 which is journaled in bearings 33 on the framework and is driven from any suitable source preferably by an electric motor.

The organization of the parts is such that the bearings for the rollers 13 are at the ends of the fixed sleeves 11 and are of the rollerbearing type, and larger bearings can be provided than when they are located in the housings as heretofore. The rollers and the superposed billets are supported entirely on the sleeves, and the drive shafts 22 a 'e floating shafts carried in oil baths and have no work beyond the mere rotation of the rollers. The thrust-collars 27 and sleeve take the endthrust of the rollers off their shafts 22 which is particularly advantageous where the billets are discharged from the furnace. The roller bearings are enclosed and sealed so that the rollers can run dry or without oil and the entrance of slag and scale to the bearings is prevented, whereby the problem of maintaining lubrication of the bearings is eliminated and the life of the bearings and shafts is prolonged and the vertical alinement of the rollers in relation to the intermediate plate 8 is preserved. The elimination of lubrication of the roller bearing is advantageous as the temperature in the bearings of the rollers located at the furnace mouth is so high, frequently rising to 650 degrees Fahrenheit, that the oil is quickly vaporized. The protection of the roller bearing from injury by slag and scale is advantageous as these substances are very destructive to shafts and their bearings. Moreover, in the present organization in case of accident or unusual wear of a roller or its bearing the roller can be quiclrly detached and its bearing removed and either or both replaced without disturbing the shaft.

lVhile the roller organization is particularly useful at the furnace mouth it may be used generally in any mill table where comparatively short rollers are employed, and its use at other locations will afford economy and simplicity in the construction of the table in addition to the advantages set forth.

of power,

afford a longer housing for the fixed sleeve l1 and as provided with the bearing 33 for the main driving shaft 32, and the sleeve 11 and shaft correspondingly shorter than they are shown in Fig. 3; otherwise the arrangement would remain as herein described.

I claim:

1. A mill conveyer comprising a series of spaced alined plates, fixed tubular sleeves arranged transverse to the line of the plates and projecting into the spaces between the latter, rollers supported on the sleeves intermediate the plates, and rotatable shafts in the sleeves connected to the rollers.

A mill cenveyer comprising a series of spaced alined plates, fixed tubular sleeves arranged transverse to the line of the plates and projecting into the spaces between the latter, cup-shaped rollers supported on the sleeves intermediate the plates, rotatable shafts extending through the sleeves and engaging the rollers at one end, and bearings in the sleeves for tie other ends of the shafts.

3. A mill onveyer comprising a series of spaced alined plates, fixed tubular sleeves arranged transverse to the line of the plates and projecting into the spaces between the latter, roller-bearings on the projecting ends of the sleeves, cup-shaped rollers supported on the bearings intermediate the plates, means to seal the open ends of the rollers, rotatable shafts extending through the sleeves and engaging he rollers at one end, and bearings in the sleeves for the other ends of the shafts.

In a mill conveyer a fixed tubular sleeve, a cup-shaped roller circumscribing one end of the sleeve and supported thereon, means to seal the open end of the roller about the sleeve, a bearing in the other end of the sleeve, a closure for the sleeve beyond said bearing, and a rotatable shaft of less diameter than the bore of the sleeve extending through the latter and journaled near one end in said bearing and fixed at its other end to the roller.

5. In a mill conveyer, a fixed tubular sleeve, a roller-bearing on one end of the sleeve, a cup-shaped roller circumseribing the bearing and supported thereon, means to seal the space between the open end of the roller and the sleeve, and a rotatable shaft extending through the sleeve and connected at one end to the roller.

6. In a mill conveyer, a fixed tubular sleeve, a roller-bearing on one end of the sleeve, a cup-shaped roller circumscribing the bearing and having a thrust-collar engaging the end of the sleeve, an annular Washer sealing the space between the open end of the roller and the sleeve, a rotatable shaft extending through the sleeve and connected at one end to the roller, and driving mechanism at the other end of the shaft. I

7. In a mill conveyer a fixed tubular sleeve, a roller-bearing bearing on one end of the sleeve, a cup-shaped roller supported on the bearing and having a thrust-collar engaging the sleeve, means to seal the open end of the roller about the sleeve, 2. bearing in the other end of the sleeve, a closure for the sleeve beyond said bearing, and a rotatable shaft of less diameter than the bore of the sleeve extending through the latter and journaled near one end in said latter bearing and fixed at its other end to the roller.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature.

ALVIN A. CLAASSEN. 

